Beauty Launchpad Article
What exactly is Trichotillomania? Who does it most commonly affect? Are the symptoms obvious?
Trichotiollomania is a a body focused repetitive disorder that causes you to pull your hair out. People pull from different areas of there body , most commonly the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows. This is done on a very unconscious level for most and is incredibly hard to stop. Hair pulling varies a lot in severity and location of pulling as well as how well people respond to treatment. I know people who only pull from one spot and are very aware when they do it. Then there are people like me where the compulsion is extremely intense and on a very subconscious level , and they may have little to no hair left on their head.
Trichotillomania can affect anyone at any age, but it is most commonly occurs in late childhood/early puberty equally in boys and girls. By adulthood however most cases of report that 80-90% of people with Trich are women, but that is more then likely because most men do not openly seek help for it.
The strongest most evident symptom of trich is repetitive pulling of your hair without awareness. There are other symptoms that come into play such as a sense of relief after pulling out the hair. Also the inability to stop pulling despite repeatedly trying to. Noticeable hair loss or bald patches will also result from pulling of course. These symptoms may be very obvious to the person at first , but they will begin to realize it.
What are some of the most common challenges people face?
There are a lot of challenges we face. Having trich doesn’t just affect us physically but the mental and emotional battle we face daily is very difficult. The physical challenge is the most visible one. Trying to conceal the areas where we have pulled can be very challenging. We will try to cover up the bald spots on our heads using hair fibers or different concealing products such as toppers, wigs, hair replacement. Trying to part our hair or style it in ways that is concealing. If someone pulls their eyelashes or eyebrows they will try where false eyelashes or drawing their eyebrows on. Then comes the fear and shame. Because we are so ashamed of what we are doing the idea of someone finding out is paralyzing for many.
It can cause many people to withdraw from activities they once loved such as going out dancing, running, swimming, excercising, going on rollercoasters or even engaging in normal social activities. Anything that could expose us , we hide. We will literally avoid wind or florescent lighting that tends to show the spots more. Bullying and teasing are very common especially in the adolescent years, and its tramatizing. It affects peoples ability to date or have sex. Even there ability to have deep friendships. It strains many family relationships, and often the family members need counseling to learn how to cope with there loved one who has trich. We experience severe depression and anxiety disorrders. These are ALL things I have experienced personally from Trich at one point or another in my life.
Some are things I countinue to battle on the daily. That is what I hope people realize the most with this disorder. It is far more than physical.
What are some of the ways that hairstylist can help people with trich?
As a hairstylist you have so much more power than you know. Many times you will be the first person who may see something going on, on your clients scalp. If they have been coming to you for a while you will notice when there is a bald patch or thinning beginning to start. If they are a new client and you see abnormal patches , redness, or irritation on the scalp and have the knowledge to recognize and be familiar with many different hair disorders you will be able to help them immensely.
Take a class or attend a hair loss conference where you can learn how to recognize different hair disorders. Unfortunately we didn’t learn anything about them in cosmetology school, but there is so much trichology education available for hairstylist now. You can learn the basics of wigs and hair additions so you can help them cosmetically. If you love what you are already doing in hair and don’t have a desire to work in hair loss, get connected and familiar with who does specialize in hair loss in your area so you can refer your client to someone who can help them. Have online resources, support group information anything helps.
What are some ways that stylist may be inadvertently hurting those with trich?
Unfortunately a trip to the salon for many people with trich and alopecia can be very difficult. Your client is already in a very vulnerable place when they are walking in. They are nervous, anxious, and don’t want to draw any attention to themselves and especially not to there bald patches. What I often see is that hairstylist can be caught by surprise when they are shampooing there client or looking at their hair in the consultation, and react without thinking instead of staying calm.
They say things like “What the heck is that?” , or loudly say “why do you have bald spots on your head?” Even worse is when you may feel something bumpy or see lesions or scabs on the their head and scream “Eww gross!” This may sound ridiculous to some of you , but I cannot tell you how any times I have heard horror stories like these from clients who went somewhere hoping to just have a normal haircut, but left traumatized by how they were treated. I don’t think people intended to hurt them, we just need to be very aware of what you say and how you say it.
Lead with sensitivity and compassion, listen to your client. If you have a private room , or area of the salon that is more quiet lead your guest over there when you want to discuss their hair loss with them so that they are not afraid of people hearing. Treat them with sensitivity and compassion and you can never go wrong.
What are some misconceptions that people have regarding those with trich?
A common misconception is that we can stop if we want to. We do not want to be doing this to ourselves! We hate that we are doing it and would do anything to be able to stop, and most of the time we have tried everything to stop. I would say the sentence that upsets people with trich more than anything is “Just Stop”. As if we never thought of that.
Another misconception is that we pull because we are depressed or anxious or upset about something. That is also not necessarily true. We may be depressed ,stressed or anxious when we are pulling butt we also may be happy or content. I tend to pull the most when I’m reading a book, driving or watching a movie. I pull when my mind is enveloped in something and Im not paying attention to my hands. Its a very automatic thing for me , so I have to concentrate to not pull. Everyone is different but many of clients with trich say the same is true for them.
If a stylist suspects their client may have trich, but they haven’t opened up about it, what can they do to help?
This is always a tough answer. Every situation is so different. They could always start talking about how they took a cool class and they are learning about hair disorders and new technology that can help them. I’ve even brought up celebrities who are open about having trich such as Victoria secret model Sara Sampaio, and talked about it to them.
There is no right way, you really have to get creative. I know some stylist who have something on there station that says “ask me about Hair extensions”, or “ask me about Hairuwear” , and then in talking about the hair additions they offer they bring up reasons people might need it, such as trichotillomania. When the client is ready they will talk, they just need a window
Where can stylists go to get more info?
There are so many amazing resources out there for anyone wanting to learn more about trichotillomania , and other hair disorders. For more information about trich, The tricholtillomania learning foundation or the TLC foundation, is the best online resource available. They have online support groups as well as a list of local professionals and support group for whatever area you live in. They have books, annual conferences and numerous other events and media all for people with trich. There website is www.bfrb.org.
If you want to learn more about hair disorders and how you can learn to recognize them I offer classes and training at 901salon. If you don’t live in L.A I also travel to salons and do training for the entire staff , or one on one private training. If that is something you are interested in doing you can email me directly at hannah@901salon.com.
You’ve been very open with your own journey with trich. How has that helped you not only as a stylist but as an advocate for those with trich?
Being open about having trich has impacted every area in my life in more ways the I can count. When I hid, when it was this big secret I didn’t want anyone to know, everything I did was coming from a place of fear. That impacted my relationships with others, how I saw the world around me and how I saw myself. When I choose to be open about it, freedom was the new lens I saw the world through. I started meeting so many girls just like me.
I went from not knowing anyone with trich to now meeting so many! I have relationships with these girls. When I would see there tears, see there pain I knew I couldn’t stop raising awareness about trich, not until every girl with it knows they are not alone. Until it losses the stigma , until every girl with trich feels free to be themselves I won’t stop. I get so many messages from girls, telling me about their struggles , while they are hiding it from their own friends and family. I get messages where they say they now feel like they can tell their family or loved one about them having trich. Or that they went on the first date they’ve been on in years because they see that my husband loves and accepts me as I am. They start taking risks and many of them end up helping other girls they meet with trich. I can’t explain what that feels like. It is the driving force in all I do. Even if I’m afraid to share these thing or Im being ridiculed, I always tell myself to remember the one. The one girl that will be helped by this. If I picture that one person, then I know it will all be worth it.
